It is well worth overlooking the historical inaccuracies to be found in FLY ME TO THE MOON. I’m not talking about the conspiracy theories about how the first moon landing was faked on a soundstage. This bright and breezy look at what may or may not have really happened has dedicated itself to the emotional, not factual, truth, and the result is a film that manages to be a thoroughly enjoyable rom-com as well as a heartfelt tribute to the heroes, sung and unsung, who put the first humans on the moon.
It’s also worth it to enjoy the work of Scarlett Johansson. As the PR genius tasked with making America fall back in love with the space program, she smoothly slips in and out of whatever persona will get the job done from ditzy southern belle to tough-as-nails Manhattanite and every variation in between. There are some noteworthy special effects on movie screens this summer, but none is better than what Johansson does with an accent and an affect.
It is 1968, and the American public has grown weary of the space program. Distracted as the population has become with political assassinations and the war in Vietnam, what was once a source of wonder and pride has grown stale, threatening the government funding that will keep the program going. Enter Kelly Jones (Johansson), the sharpest marketing mind on Madison Avenue, and newly recruited to, make that strong-armed into, seducing America into caring about the space program again by shadowy government agent Mo Berkus (Woody Harelson). Newly appointed as NASA’s head of PR, she and loyal assistant (and Nixon hater) Ruby (Anna Garca) swap Manhattan for Florida where they discover that there is more to the job than selling space exploration to the public, there is also selling the idea that it needs selling to Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), the no-nonsense NASA Flight Director in charge at Cape Kennedy.
From the exceptional meet-cute to the ideological clashes that follow, Kelly and Cole constantly surprise one another with their expertise and dedication to making good on their respective missions, much of it centering on the biblical question of what is truth. Kelly selling the idea of NASA grates on Cole’s nerves even before she casts camera-ready actors to stand-in for actual NASA engineers for the press. That Kelly is very good at what she does and succeeds in bringing in the congressional votes to keep the program going may make him happy, as does the expensive watch he receives as a gift after the company buys the rights to say their product will go to the moon, but his qualms remain. As for Kelly, as she puts it to Ruby, Cole is easy on the eyes, but hard on the ears, and eventually eye-candy will out.
This is a sharp script brought to life by exceptionally charismatic thespians. Johansson and Tatum infuse intelligence to their characters’ sparring, with Johansson’s continually having the upper hand at manipulating people and situations making her all the more appealing. There is something deeply satisfying about watching a mid-century woman using feminine wiles and native smarts to outwit men who don’t have much respect for women being of any value other than ornamentation or fetching a cup of coffee. You can’t quite escape the feeling that these guys have brought it on themselves by being so short-sighted as they ogle Ms. Johansson’s attributes. Even Cole is not immune as the puts out a fire when first meeting Kelly, but before finding out who she is. When he does, he may not like her, but he and Mo are the only ones to see past the façade and, grudgingly, respect Kelly’s particular genius.
There is also enormous respect for the space program itself. While there may be stereotypical nerd engineers (Donald Elise Watkins and Noah Robbins), there is also Ray Romano’s turn as Cole’s deputy, a man with a wry sense of humor that covers an abiding love for the mission while, like Cole, understanding the enormous risks it involves.
The subplot involving a back-up plan in case the moon landing fails, or even if it succeeds, to make sure that is, like the ci-mentioned fake engineers, are camera ready. It takes all the most popular conspiracy theories about how the footage was faked and turns it into a comedy of errors and artistic temperament. Yet, for all the flamboyance of the director Kelly brings in, for all the bungling of trying to get just the right illusion of bouncing in reduced gravity, or trying to talk sense to an artiste with a vision, it also furthers the film’s consideration of truth versus fiction. Plus, Jim Rash as the director who goes from a fiasco filming a gelatin commercial to berating the Secret Service for not being able to emote properly in space suits (don’t ask) is a monumental addition to the roster of supporting roles that all but take over the film.
Filmed in with the 60’s style of color saturation as bold as Kelly’s wardrobe, FLY ME TO THE MOON finds a way to blend screwball comedy with moments that will make your heart swell with pride at what humans can accomplish. Even if it takes a con woman to get the job done.
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